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Portfolio Artifact #3

Sasha Waters

EDU 210
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During the first day of suspension, a middle school student named Ray Knight, was shot

by a stray bullet. He was visiting his friend during this time and the parents were unaware of

both the whereabouts of their child and the suspension. The district provides a required telephone

home and a prompt notice by mail to the parents, but the school only sent the notice by way of

the student who threw it away. The suspensions was for three days due to unexcused absences

and now a student is accidentally shot. Is anyone to blame?

The school should be held accountable for the issue at hand and the parents have every

right to pursue legal action. The schools procedures state that they will phone call home and

send letter by mail and they failed the parents, the student and the school by sending the notice

home with the student instead of following proper protocol. According to GOSS vs LOPEZ, the

school didnt complete proper procedures and didnt give enough notice, or any (direct) notice

for that matter, to the parents and were in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Ray Knights parents also have reason to pursue liability charges because the school

made the mistake of believing they could send a notice home with a student. They believed the

middle school aged student would send it home and he didnt. Ray threw away the notice and

didnt inform his parents. Now, Ray is shot by a stray bullet. (SHERRELL vs NORTHERN

COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION OF TIPTON COUNTY).

Ray Knight was a student and as a student, they teach honesty and send home notes since

the start of school. Ray should have known better than to throw away a note and not tell his

parents. His parents are to blame as well because even if the school failed, they should have
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taught their son about truth and honesty and perhaps he wouldnt be in the mess he is in.

(MORSE vs FREDERICK).

Rays parents cannot be mad at the school and should not hold them accountable for the

fault of their son. The school believed they could trust this students to be open with his parents.

The school did not fail the parents by not sending a note home, even if it was out of normal

protocol. The student failed his parents, Ray should have been able to go home and tell his

parents. If Ray would have gave the note to his mother and father instead of throwing it away

and if he would have stayed at home, he would have never gotten shot. (FINKLE vs SYOSSET

SCHOOL BOARD).

I believe that the parents have every right to pursue charges against the school!

The student was a middle school aged boy. He was probably confused and scared that his parents

might be upset, not only for unexcused absences but for getting suspended from school. He

didnt know that by being dishonest and going to a friends house that hed get caught in gun

fire, but he did. Being that the school fail to inform the parents properly, they are completely

accountable and need to prepare for a fight and prepare to lose. A childs life is at stake here,

how many more children need to be hurt due to miscommunication and staff trying to bypass

guidelines before something gets done?

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References

Goss vs Lopez. (1975) http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/419/565.html

SHERRELL vs NORTHERN COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION OF TIPTON

COUNTY http://caselaw.findlaw.com/in-court-of-appeals/1463511.html

MORSE vs FREDERICK http://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-

activities/facts-and-case-summary-morse-v-frederick

FINKLE vs SYOSSET SCHOOL BOARD http://www.nyclu.org/case/finkle-v-syosset-school-

board-challenging-suspension-of-student-writing-violent-story